Apparatus for playing games.



A. P. LAUSTER.

APPARATUS FOR PLAYING GAMES.

APPLICATION FILED APB..12, 1912.

1,1 17,959, Patented N0v.17. 1914.

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AUGUST P. LAUS'IER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY .MESNE TO JOSEPHF. OERIEN, OF WEST ASSIGNMENTS, NEW YORK. NEW JERSEY.

Application filed April 12, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, AUGUST P. Lnnsrnn, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus forPlaying Games, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for playing games.

By the use of my invention. I provide in combination with one or moreballs or other similar devices means for testing the players skill inrolling or throwing the ball, such as a long rectangular table suitablysupported and having a goal. such as an aperture at its rear end. aprize displayed at a distance from the player and means actuated byengagement with the ball or other suitable device for delivering theprize to the player.

My preferred form of apparatus comprises in combination with a woodenball or sphere of suitable size, an oblong table having a circularaperture somewhat larger in diameter than the diameter of the balllocated near the rear end of the table, a track inclined upwardly fromthe front end to the rear end of the table, a carriage mounted on thetrack at its upper or rear end. a prize displayed in the carriage, meanson the track for retaining the carriage in position thereon comprising aspring latch and an abutment on the carriage for cooperating with thelatch. and a member hin ed to a suitable fixed support, extending belowthe aperture so as to be engaged and depressed by a ball fallingtherethrough and a connecting rod connecting the hinged member and thespring latch to withdraw the same when the hinged member is depressed bythe ball and permit the carriage and prize to roll down the inclinedtrack to the front of the table within reach of the player.

In the accompanying drawings. in which similar reference charactersdesignates corresponding parts throughout the several views. Figure 1 isa side elevation. partially in section, of apparatus embodying thepreferred form of my invention: Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatusshown in Fig. l; 3 is an enlarged section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; andFig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the upper por-Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 17, 1914:. Serial No. 690,223.

tion of the inclined track with the carriage removed, showing thelatching member and detachable connections.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, and to the preferredembodiment of my invention shown therein, A designates a tablepreferably supported in position by detachable legs a a reinforced bydetachable connecting strips a, and having detachable marginal sidestrips a a and detachable marginal end strips a a extending slightlyabove the surface of the table so as to form on the surface of the tablea rolling alley or track for a ball B. The. table A is provided near itsrear end with a circular aperture A somewhat larger in diameter than thediameter of the ball B, and supported beneath the aperture A in positionto be engaged by a ball falling therethrough is a member F which, asshown, is hinged at one end to any suitable support such as thedepending block A and is connected intermediate its ends by a rod E to aspring latch D. As illustrated, the latch D, comprising as shown a flatstrip of resilient metal, is connected at one end by tacks (Z (Z to atrack H inclined rearwardly and extending from the front to the rear endof the table and being detachably supported thereon, its rear end beingheld in elevated relation to the table by a frame A also detachablyconnected to the table, to which frame A the track H is connected at oneend by hooks h it, secured to an end strip a its other end beingretained in posi tion on the table by a dowel it. The rod E ispreferably connected to the spring latch as follows: The spring end ofthe latch member D is provided with holes cl (Z and the upper end of therod E is hooked and spans the bridge between these holes.

A carriage G having a prize J displayed thereon, is provided with anabutment g beneath its body which engages the free end of the springlatch member D and the carriage is thus retained in position at the upper end of the inclined track H.

Suitable means such as the run-way K are preferably provided to permitthe ball or balls, when the same fall through the aperture A, to runforwardly toward the front of the table.

The operation of the device is as follows: lVhen a player issufficiently skilful to roll a ball along the table A into the apertureA at its rear end, it will fall upon the piv- 'oted spring latchcontrolling member which will actuate the rod E to pull down the springcatch D out of engagement with the abutment g on the carriage G, thuspermitting the carriage and prize, such as a boX of candy, to roll bygravity toward the front end of the table and into proximity with theplayer.

Having described my invention I claim,

1. A game apparatus embodying a table provided with an aperture, a car,means for detaining it, means operable by the passage of a movableobject through the aperture of the table for releasing said car, andmeans for imparting movement to said car when free from the restraint ofsaid detaining means.

2. In a game playing apparatus, the combination of a table provided withan aperture at the rear end, a track inclined upwardly from the front tothe rear of the five cents each, by addressing the Washington, D. C.

table, a carriage mounted on the track at its upper end, and meansbeneath the aforesaid aperture adapted to be actuated by a movableobject for releasing the carriage to permit it to roll to the front ofthe table.

3. In a game playing apparatus, the combination of a movable object, atable provided with an aperture at the rear end, a track inclinedupwardly from the front to the rear of the table, a carriage mounted onthe track at its upper end, and means'beneath the aforesaid apertureadapted to be actuated by the movable object for releasing the carriageto permit it to roll to the front of the table.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand to the foregoingspecification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AUGUST P. LAUSTER.

/Vitnesses:

FREDERICK P. RANDOLPH, HELEN R. HOLMES.

Commissioner of Patents,

